NEW YORK (AP) — A massive snowstormstruck the northeastern United States, ranging from Maryland to Maine on Monday, causing many to remain indoors due to powerful winds andblizzard warnings, transportation shutdowns, along with school and business shutdowns.
Meteorologists said the stormis the most intense in ten years, dropping over 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in some areas of the Greater Northeast, breaking snowfall records, disrupting transportation, and causing the United Nations to reschedule a Security Council meeting. Authorities declared emergencies, schools were shut down, including in New York City, which experienced its first “classic” snow day in six years, andindividuals struggled with electricity outages.
Although the snow shifted north and lessened in other regions, the National Weather Service mentioned it is monitoring another storm that might result in additional snowfall to the area later this week.
The weather service described Monday’s storm as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter along the Northeast coast.” Abomb cycloneoccurs when a storm’s pressure decreases by a specific amount over a 24-hour span, typically happening during the fall and winter months when cold Arctic air moves southward and interacts with milder temperatures.
Although it was debilitating and potentially hazardous for millions on the East Coast, meteorologists were captivated by the mix of strength and elegance.
The storm arrived at the “Goldilocks situation” where the temperature was perfectly suited for wet, heavy snow: If it had been warmer, the precipitation would not have fallen as snow, and if it had been colder, there wouldn’t have been as much moisture in the air to support such a snowfall, said Owen Shieh, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.
Individuals start excavating despite the ongoing snowfall
In Lower Manhattan, snow removal workers seemed to be more numerous than office employees traveling to work, while people strolled through streets typically congested with morning traffic.
It’s very quiet, aside from the howling winds,” remarked Luis Valez, a concierge at a residential building near Wall Street, while he cleared the sidewalk. “A few residents have ventured out to pick up their necessities. Other than that, there’s nothing happening.
Matthew Wojtkowiak, 57, a legal professional, was also clearing snow in his Brooklyn community.
I’m from the Midwest, so this is right in my area,” he said. “Not too bad, not too difficult either.
Schools were shut down, and he expressed his wish that people would go outside and appreciate the snow.
“We’re prepared with sleds,” he stated.
Karen Smith and Adele Bawden are travelers from the United Kingdom exploring New York.
We were dancing in Times Square this morning right in the middle of the road during rush hour,” Bawden said. “We’ve just been dancing and couldn’t believe we were actually doing it.
Ingrid Devita mentioned that she enjoys skiing through the Lower East Side, keeping an eye on individuals who may require assistance.
“I notice individuals collapse in the snow and are unable to rise,” she stated.
New York City’s Central Park accumulated 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow. Warwick, Rhode Island, saw more than 3 feet (91 centimeters), leading the country so far. The strongest wind speed of 83 mph (133 kph) was measured in Nantucket, with hurricane-level gusts reported across Cape Cod.
In Connecticut, workers at the Mystic Seaport Museum were getting ready to remove snow from a collection of historic vessels, such as the 113-foot Charles W. Morgan, a wooden whaling ship from the 19th-century American merchant fleet.
Shannon McKenzie, the vice president of watercraft operations and preservation, mentioned that the shipyard employees will remove the snow manually with rubber or plastic shovels, as using machines or metal shovels might harm the vessels.
Storm causes power failures and interrupts air travel
New York, Philadelphia, and additional cities, along with multiple states, announced states of emergency.
Over 5,600 flights departing from or arriving in the United States were called off on Monday, with an additional 2,000 flights planned for Tuesday also being canceled, as reported by the flight tracking website.FlightAware. The majority of the cancellations affected airports located in New York, New Jersey, and Boston. Nearly 2,500 flights experienced delays.
Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport stated on Monday that it has temporarily halted all activities at the airport. The National Weather Service noted that the site received almost 38 inches (96.5 centimeters) of snow, surpassing a record established in 1978.
Public transportation came to a stop in certain regions, while DoorDash halted deliveries in New York City during the night into Monday.
Weather experts stated that powerful winds combined with thick, heavy snow can lead to broken trees and extended electricity interruptions.
Over 450,000 utility customers across the country were still without power on Monday night, as reported byPowerOutage.us, which monitors power failures across the country.
Snow disrupts daily commutes and leads to school closures
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Monday evening that subway lines are largely back to normal following earlier disruptions, except in Staten Island, which was severely affected and still has rail service suspended. Delays are expected to persist on lines that operate above ground.
Commuter rail service to the suburbs located north and east of the city was anticipated to restart with limited operations before the Tuesday morning rush, according to the MTA. Bus travelers should also be prepared for extended waiting periods.
Community outreach workers continued to encourage homeless individuals in New York City to seek refuge in shelters and heated facilities.
Numerous landmarks and cultural organizations were shut down on Monday, such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Sunday night saw the cancellation of Broadway performances.
New York City and Boston shut down public school classes for Monday, while Philadelphia transitioned to virtual learning. School districts on Long Island and other areas in the New York suburbs announced they would close for a second day on Tuesday.
However, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that classes would resume in-person.
Officials in one of the city’s Republican areas voiced their disapproval of the Democratic mayor’s decision. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella argued that schools should stay closed due to roads being inaccessible and sidewalks obstructed. The teacher’s union, the United Federation of Teachers, urged its members to exercise caution and prioritize their safety when deciding whether to come to work.
Mamdani’s representatives did not respond to an email requesting their input, but his schools chief supported the decision through social media.
Chancellor Kamar Samuels stated that the district “couldn’t be 100% certain” that all students would have the necessary devices for remote learning, even though school officials made their “best efforts” to provide them before the storm.
“We are certain about our choice to resume operations,” he said.wrote on XOur schools and city are prepared to welcome students and staff back tomorrow.
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Izaguirre covered events in Albany, New York, while Rush provided reports from Portland, Oregon. Contributions came from Associated Press journalists including Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Mark Kennedy and Mike Sisak in New York; Darlene Superville in Washington; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and Philip Marcelo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
